


The Prince's Regent

by kalligraphy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Courtesan Shiro, Cussing, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Porn With Plot, Prince Keith, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:36:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8638936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalligraphy/pseuds/kalligraphy
Summary: "And damn it all if this wasn’t Shiro’s usual method for getting clients but Keith couldn’t deny it- he was interested. Hooked. He wanted to hear his voice more, feel those warm hands against his skin. And Keith couldn’t help but be curious about what he’d look like without those very loose looking pants on.And damn it fucking all if Shiro hadn’t made Keith want him."-Keith Kogane is an Altean prince who's got a lot on his plate. The Galra have been unusually silent, his father is preparing him to take his place as king, he's being betrothed to a princess who he doesn't even know. He has some weird, unrequited feelings for his combat instructor, Captain Lance. He's beside himself with stress. Little does he know that the best medicine is a mysteriously handsome courtesan named Shiro.





	

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: the setting of this is an Altean kingdom apart from Allura's, with an old middle age feel mixed with the new age Altean tech. it's completely not canon, so work with me here. 
> 
> also, characters may be OOC but i'm trying my best to keep them as in character as possible while still keeping their respective character tropes. 
> 
> not beta'd. 
> 
> WORD COUNT: 11,285

It was cold.

It was cold as _fuck_.

That was all Keith could think about when he blearily awoke that Thursday morning. Just another Thursday, nothing special save for that fact that the winter frost was finally beginning to set in. The thought of that excited Keith a bit though, for his winter stoles and garments were much more preferable than his summery ones. He enjoyed the thick furs and linings and rich dark colors of their royal crest in the winter much more than the brighter shades and breezier styled clothing the Koganes donned in the warmer seasons.

The chill in his room served to distract him a bit from his knowledge of the day’s happenings. He knew today was the day his father would be delivering him news he didn’t care for hearing- they’d be deciding on his bride to be in the next few days as well as mobilizing their armies to prep in case of unexpected Galran attacks during their mysterious quiet period of inactivity. Well, at least he’d be wrapped up in his favorite thick vermillion cloak and fur-lined black leather. His favorite stoles always served to comfort him in the midst of going through his monotonous roles as the prince of their country in Altea.

Prince Keith Kogane was an only child and the next in line for the throne of the kingdom his father ruled over on Altea. He was nearing the age of twenty two, an age well past what he should have already been wed at. But, he’d put it off long enough and his father wouldn’t let him delay any more years of his life without seeing his son wed to a fitful princess who would help her husband run the country with a strong backbone. Keith was also overdue on taking over the stance of their military to help his father in his older years, now especially that the tensions with the Galrans were at an all time high. Funnily enough, however, the Galrans hadn’t been seen for a few months anywhere on the entire planet of Altea or the surrounding atmosphere. Which, that was odd considering they had been conducting raids on small villages and slowly festering in the various kingdoms of Altea, though never actually invading any of the castles or anything. It was all very strange to Keith if he ever thought about it (which he tried not to), because it was almost like the Galrans were actually looking for something on the planet instead of just trying to cause general havoc with the people. Keith had no idea what they’d be looking for on Altea though- there was nothing special there but precious minerals and some expensive natural resources. Both of which the Galrans had no real usage for since, as far as Keith knew, they didn’t do any sort of trading with human-esque races. They didn’t even use the same currency systems.

As bad as it sounded, Keith liked to keep himself out of the politics of the country despite being a prime source of contribution to them. He was to be king someday after his father passed so he’d have to start dealing with it sometime, but the politics and wartime policies and governance of the general populace never failed to bore and stress the hell out of him. He… he hadn’t asked to be a prince and face all this responsibility. In fact, he really didn’t want any of it. Keith didn’t want to run an entire country, didn’t want to marry anyone and be responsible for the trust and feelings that came with being bound to another person. He didn’t want to have to make life-impacting war decisions. He _certainly_ didn’t want to be a damned prince. But, it’s what he was and it wasn’t going to change unless he threw himself off a cliff or miraculously got poisoned. And well, neither of those things were realistically going to happen. He couldn’t hope for another sibling to take the throne in his place, either. His mother had passed due to sickness when he was too little to remember her face or voice and his father, in his mourning, vowed to never marry again or sow any other heirs lest Keith have his life taken from him.

So, this was the life he had to work with.

Every day was the same, just about. He and his father would spend the mornings listening to complaints, showers of praise, and oddly specific requests amongst other things from subjects of their kingdom. Keith didn’t understand why his father still sported the idea of letting the common folk in for this when none of what they had to say was ever addressed in the first place. Only on the rare occasion that one of the commoners let into the palace had some strange piece of information that made no sense of value to Keith did his father act on it and send a squadron of men to the location to check it out. Every time Keith asked, his father didn’t have much of a solid answer for him, generally saying that he was “merely curious”.

Keith figured it was just a political thing he’d understand when he took the crown. He had a feeling that there were a lot of things he was ignorant to even as the prince. There were just some things that kings knew that no one else did. His father had used to say that to him a lot when he was a boy.

After rolling out of his bed, Keith let some of his chamber girls wash him in the freshly drawn hot bath, relishing in the aroma of his rosy scented oils. He didn’t spend too much time soaking before he climbed out and dried off.

The prince seated himself at his vanity and allowed a couple of the girls to brush out his hair. It was beautifully long and a solid black color, falling all the way to his lower back area when it was wet and brushed straight like this. One of the maidens massaged an expensive but sweet smelling oil into his scalp then brushed it through his hair to keep it lush and give it a natural sheen look for when it dried. He caught one of the girls fumbling with his clothing as she pulled it from his wardrobe, her face a deep shade of pink. The side of his lip quirked up but otherwise his expression was mostly impassive. She must be new. All of the new girls assigned as his attendants were nervous and blushy the first few weeks they worked. He was handsome and young and had yet to ever show romantic interest in anyone since he was unwed. Plus, he was the prince, so it wasn’t surprising her nerves were frayed.

Keith stood in his naked glory and walked over to her as she nervously looked up at him approaching. Her hands shook and she suddenly couldn’t look him in the face.

“It’s alright, I’ll take it from here. I can dress myself.” He said in a soft tone in an attempt to help her ease her nerves.

She just nodded. The girl seemed like she wanted to open her mouth and give a proper reply to her crown prince but he figured if she tried that, she might sputter like some sort of strangled creature so he dismissed it.

Keith really wasn’t that much of a hard ass when it came to being royalty. There were very few things he got worked up about, but he generally kept his cool in most situations. He was mostly quiet during big events or meetings with other royals- he didn’t like to get involved with things that he didn’t particularly care for. It was also dangerous to get caught up in arguments or discussions with blue bloods. They were feisty and confident with their opinions. Keith was a level-headed gentleman with more of a passive personality until certain things worked him up.

He had a feeling that he might be worked up quite a lot today.

As he pulled on his leather finery, he thought ahead to the plans for the day. Past the morning of commoner complaints, he had the meeting about potential brides with his father. After midday lunch, he was scheduled for his weekly training session with his favorite Captain of the King’s Fleet, Captain Lance. Lance was his absolute _favorite_ person.

Sarcasm.

Lance was good at what he did though, which was soldiering and bossing poor little cadets around and fighting. Boy, did that guy know how to fight. There was a reason he was the Captain of the King’s Fleet. King Kogane saw benefits into sending his son to lessons with the guy on hand-to-hand combat. As much as Keith hated to admit it, he was a lot better at understanding technique now than the scrappy shit he’d pulled on Lance when they’d had their first lesson.

That didn’t mean that Lance was any less annoying though.

Despite the title of Captain sounding like it should go to some old guy who’d lived out his glory years, Lance was actually pretty young. Really young actually. Young as in, only a couple years older than Keith himself. He’d apparently been in the cadet program since he was a boy and had a pretty rough start before he began getting good in his young teenage years. After that, the rest was history. He worked his way up to senior cadet and eventually been tested for the King’s Fleet and made it.

It still didn’t make him any less of a fucking shit, though.

Because even though Lance was technically his superior in more ways than one, the guy just fucking gritted on Keith’s nerves all the damned time. He really didn’t understand how his father stood more than five minutes with a serious face listening to Lance yap his mouth in the militarily strategic meetings they held.

It wasn’t just the way Lance talked, it was the way he acted and how he treated Keith. As if Lance himself were a god and Keith were his weak and helpless little protege. That and well, Keith had made the grave mistake of sleeping with Lance _once_ . One fucking time. And Lance had _never_ let him forget it. Ever.

Keith had so many regrets.

But that was another story for another time.

Keith shivered just thinking about how stupid he’d been to even let it happen. Lance and his stupid smile and stupidly nice body. Fucking Lance.

When Keith had gotten his finery fitted across his lean figure, he pulled his thick cloak across his shoulders and let it drape there. His long hair was still a bit damp, but he didn’t have time to let it dry fully, so he let one of the girls pull it up into a tight and neat bun on the back of his head, out of his face and off of his shoulders. His neck felt overly exposed in the chilly air but he found it improper addressing the public with his hair down. That, and he didn’t like the way his hair looked left down anyways. He kept it long because he found it more elegant than the shorter hairstyles the males often wore these days.

Keith turned down the jewelry offered for him to wear as he always did- he didn’t like to look overly lavish or done-up. He like the plainness of his attire and didn’t bother catching himself up in all the latest royal fashion. The only piece of jewelry he wore was a ring on his right index finger, a supposed gift from his late mother whom he’d never really known. It was a light little thing, sporting a gorgeous cut of some mystery violet stone in the middle. He’d had the ring appraised a numerous amount of times but was never able to uncover just what gem it was exactly that was set into the silver band. He always kept the ring on him in her memory.

The morning’s hearings went about as uneventful as he had expected them to go. He was absolutely bored out of his fucking mind but kept his posture and blank expression up as he nodded and shook his head in time with his father. After they’d finished, his father drew him into one of his studies, where he had some paperwork laid out and a picture up on his comm screen.

His father cleared his throat.

“As you understand, Keith, you’re more than due for a bride. I need heirs to know that the Kogane legacy will continue on before these old bones succumb to age.” King Kogane grumbled as he made his way behind his extravagant desk and shuffled some of his papers. Keith knew this was coming.

“I’ve come to a decision on your bride since you continually refuse to pick a damned girl.” His father stepped aside and looked at the picture on his comm screen, directing Keith’s eyes there.

On the screen, he saw a rather gorgeous but strongly Altean looking girl with feisty blue eyes intently set on him. Well, not specifically him since it was only a photo, but he felt like she was looking straight at him. Or through him. She had beautiful dark skin and plush pale hair that framed her heart-shaped face. The tips of her ears poked out of her hair and Keith’s eyes traced the full curves of her plush lips. She was very pretty.

Any other situation, Keith would have been happy to meet her or sleep with her even- he wasn’t shy about his bed partners. But they’d probably be engaged before they ever met and that made Keith sour about the idea of her.

“Her name is Allura and she is from an Altean kingdom on the other side of the planet. Their kingdom there is vast and we expect to form military alliances as well as intel on the Galrans with them in the days following your wedding. This will not only expand our kingdom and knowledge, but our forces against the Galrans as well. Plus, she looks like she’d give me a couple of good looking heirs to inherit your throne.” His father grinned cheekily as he added on that last part and Keith groaned.

He knew that royal weddings were never for love. They were all just agreements and literal human contracts. Weddings amongst royals were not for love or lust or anything to do with attraction. They were for producing heirs and economic and military growth. It was all just benefits to the kingdom and never for the individuals.

Keith wasn’t too bothered by the not marrying for love part; he never really saw himself being in love with anyone in the first place. He just hated the idea of letting someone close to him for the rest of his life, letting someone ideally gain his trust and keep it dear to them. He didn’t like trusting people. He didn’t like the idea of being married. He would have rather run the kingdom alone or not at all.

But he supposed that Allura didn’t seem too horrible. She was well qualified, according to what his father told him of her as he continued on about her. She was intelligent and strong and already ruling over her own people. Keith supposed she wouldn’t be too bad for him. At least she wasn’t five hundred years older than him. It could be worse.

His father had arranged a first meeting with her the coming month after their betrothal would be announced. She had already agreed to marry the prince and now negotiations and signings were in order. It was all in time though. Keith didn’t have to worry or think about it for a few more weeks. He had that long to relish in his last remaining bits of freedom as a carefree prince before he’d have to likely start paying attention to politics and his new fiancee.

 

-

 

Keith had a short and filling lunch on an outside terrace that day, liking the way the steam from his plates and drink floated up in the contrastingly cold air. Keith preferred human food to their native slop and since he was prince he was allowed what he requested. They had a human chef in the kitchens specifically to prepare meals for him as opposed to the machine produced slop that most Alteans preferred. Keith had grown up on the slop, but once he’d been visited by a few human ambassadors and taken an interest in their strange but deliciously _textured_ foods. He’d never gotten the slop near his mouth again.

When Keith finished his meal, he requested compliments to his chef like he always did before returning to his room to change for his lesson with Captain Lance. He was not looking forward to that. The guy wasn’t so bad but just generally ended up irritating Keith in some way. He was just one of those rare things that got under Keith’s skin.

As he began removing his finery, he heard his wall comm beep at him and waved his hand to signal one of his chamber maids to answer it for him while he shed down to his underclothes.

A familiar round face popped up on the screen and it made Keith instantly grin.

“Duuude, why didn’t you tell me you were about to get naked? Come on man, I just ate. It might come back up if you get any more naked.” Hunk covered his eyes on screen with his hands in mock joke, despite having seen Keith fully naked more times than he could count.

Keith rolled his eyes, “Whatever, you’re just jealous of my amazing physique.” He chuckled and glanced over his shoulder to see Hunk’s expression on his comm screen.

Hunk was frowning, “Hey man, not cool. Not. Cool. The fluff is awesome. I love my body.” He snorted and crossed his arms indignantly as he turned his nose up. It just drew a chuckle from Keith.

Hunk was a long time human friend of Keith’s that he’d met when the human ambassadors stopped by from time to time. When Keith had been little, one of the important humans had visited and brought his son to stay in the castle with him while he was there on intergalactic business. He had introduced him to Keith, who wrinkled his nose at the name ‘Hunk’ and made a face at the chubby boy. But, the dark skinned boy had just grinned a grin with a few teeth missing and told Keith he liked his cool spaceships in their guest ship wing. Oh, and that he liked Keith’s long hair. They’d been friends ever since.

Hunk didn’t stay on Altea permanently of course, he had business back on his own home planet. But when he visited with his dad, he and Keith would hang out or go down into the town that the castle shadowed and participate in typical shenanigans that only came with hanging out with Hunk. They also communicated quite frequently on their comms or video calls, keeping each other up-to-date with the other’s lives if they went a while without real life visits. Keith was happy to call Hunk one of his closest and only friends. He liked it that way.

“Anyways dude, me and my dad are flying in in a few hours because he’s got some business with one of the other Altean kings there this time. Told me I could totally get dropped by your place which I figured was cool with you because like, you’ve got this giant fucking castle, right? So I’d spend the week there and we can definitely go down to town and have some fun, right? Plus, I totally miss that delicious green gunk.” Hunk closed his eyes and looked like his mouth might be watering.

Keith wrinkled his nose. “You’re disgusting.” He rolled his eyes as he pulled on his training leathers and tightened them.

Hearing the news of Hunk flying in that evening excited him. He much needed a break from his royal duties and some distractions from everything that had happened recently, including the tense confusion with the Galra’s disappearance and his fresh knowledge of his betrothal.

“But you love me.” Hunk grinned cheekily and Keith couldn’t help but smile a little at that.

“Anyways,” Keith started as he pulled his boots on and looked up at his comm. “There’s actually a festival tonight in the town celebrating some longtime war triumph. There’s going to be music and liveliness and various flavours of that nasty gunk you love so much, so we should go. It’ll be a good thing to get my mind off of stuff.”

Hunk looked interested in that. “Sounds super fun dude, let’s fucking go! But like, what’s bothering you? I- oh, shit. Did someone change your scent oils again? You know th-”

Keith’s face reddened. The way Hunk said it made him sound like a priss. “N-no! It’s just- ugh, I’ll tell you when you get here. I don’t have time right now, I have to get to my training lesson.” He huffed as he stood up and crossed his arms.

“Oh, with Captain Goo-Goo Eyes? Ooh, Keith-y poo, have fun with your ‘sparring’ lesson.” Hunk made kissy noises and Keith irritatedly switched his comm off.

Yeah, he’d not only made the mistake of sleeping with Lance _once_ , but he’d also mentioned it to Hunk.

Also a big mistake.

 

-

 

Keith arrived in the training room right on time as he was supposed to and wasn’t surprised when he didn’t find Lance there waiting for him. Lance was never on time. So irresponsible.

The prince took it upon himself to go ahead and start warming his body up for the session. He stretched and did some exercises and jogged a few laps around the spacey room before going back to stretch his legs. It was then that the Captain strode in wearing nothing but a pair of sweat slacks and a loose sleeveless top shirt. He also wore his soft training shoes, unlike the hard boots he wore with his regular uniform that would definitely crack Keith’s bones if he didn’t block an incoming kick right.

“Good afternoon, dearest darling Keith.” Lance drawled and gave a dramatic bow. Keith rolled his eyes and sighed. Here we go.

“Sorry I’m late, had some shit to take care of back at the garrison. Cadets getting all antsy for their sim tests. Usual stuff.” He grinned as he strode over, his speak and posture casual as it usually was when not in front of the king. Lance knew Keith didn’t give a shit if he was improper and they’d been at this long enough for it not to matter anyways.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get started.” Keith muttered and stood up, rolling his arms in the sockets as Lance stopped in front of him and assessed him.

“Whoa there, cowboy. Slow down. Did you even warm up?”

Keith nodded. He knew Lance knew this.

“Really? Because you look like you’re shivering. Are you cold in all of that gear?” Lance gave him a shitty grin.

“Lance,” Keith started irritably.

“Okay, okay man. _Cool_ off. Just _chill_ alright. There _snow_ need to get all worked up.” Lance’s shitty grin widened.

Keith gripped the bridge of his nose. He was a few seconds from losing his temper.

Lance raised his hands up innocently. “Alright, I’ll stop, I’ll stop. C’mon let’s get started. Got you all worked up so maybe you’ll throw some meaningful punches today!” He laughed as he held up his hands and he and Keith began to fall into a routine motion of warm up techniques.

The session proceeded like that for a while, just a comfortable set of familiar moves that Keith had memorized by now. Lance was more built and sturdy than he was, but Keith was faster than Lance was and could throw twice the amount of punches in an area during the same time that Lance could. He got a few good hits to Lance’s rib cage but other than that, he didn’t do anything too special.

They hit a break point in their session and Keith walked to the side of the room, slouching against a wall and clutching his thermal bottle of icy water in his hands as he sipped on it. He was breathing hard and he felt _hot_ everywhere, too sweaty in his leathers to comfortably keep them on. Prince Keith panted as he began to untie his vest and shed it, also removing his boots and pulling his shirt from the hem of his pants. He felt a lot less hot now, taking his hair down briefly and retying it and all of the loose strands back up into a tight twist.

Keith’s face was already flush from the exertion, but he wasn’t ready to turn and see the Captain chucking his shirt from his muscular upper torso. Lance wasn’t a beefcake or anything, but he did have a nice set of muscles and they looked good on him. Seeing Lance’s gorgeously tanned skin stretched over his upper body muscle made Keith’s face flare in heat. It didn’t help that Lance was sweating. His shoulder-length hair had fallen from it’s little ponytail on the back of his head halfway and that his pants hugged his legs a little _too_ good.

Shit, shit, shit. Keith was suddenly remembering all too suddenly why he’d pounced on Lance that fateful day in the first place.

He turned away and quickly sucked down more water, angrily squeezing it all into his mouth and ripping it away, annoyed with himself. Keith wiped his mouth off and turned back to Lance, face still pink and breaths still quick. He felt anger rising in him. He fucking hated Lance right now and his stupid amazing looking body and stupid hair and stupid skin. Lance was so stupid.

Keith came up behind Lance quickly and quietly, catching him off guard while he took his breather. Lance made a noise when Keith jumped on him from behind and locked his arms around Lance’s chest in a firm hold so he kept a grip.

Lance quickly caught onto what was happening and turned to shove Keith into the wall against him to loosen his grip, but Keith’s thinking was faster. He quickly pried Lance’s hands to his sides from the angle he was at and used the leverage from his legs locked at Lance’s waist to twist Lance’s body to the side and bring him down to the ground. Keith rolled out from beneath him and like a little monkey, he kept his grip on Lance as he maneuvered around the other man’s body.

The two men grappled on the floor, Lance grunting and Keith keeping his mouth shut tight as he concentrated on besting his combat instructor. He could feel his shirt getting twisted and fucked up and Lance’s hot skin searing him every time it brushed against his with its sticky sweatiness. Keith gritted his teeth and suddenly pinned Lance down, a limb desperately holding down each of Lance’s. Ha! He’d gotten the upper hand!

Keith had a confident little smile on his mouth as he opened it to give Lance some snide remark. But before he could even say anything, Lance suddenly tilted both of his knees in and broke the hold over them from Keith’s legs. He then threw his weight from his hips to the left and flipped them over, pinning Keith’s arms above his head and holding his waist down with his own.

He was stretched over Keith, breathing hard and sweating, a drop sliding off of his face and landing on Keith’s nose. Keith was just as worked up and breathless as he was, mouth open in astonishment and face colored in embarrassment and exertion.

They stayed like that for a few moments before a shit-eating grin broke out over Lance’s face.

Before Lance could say _anything_ however, Keith leaned up and mashed his lips to Lance’s angrily, kissing out his frustrations. He didn’t want to hear whatever stupid Lance had to stupid say. God, he just. Lance just pissed him off. And his stupid marriage and his stupid irresponsibility and immaturity. Keith was so tired and upset and he had a lot of pent up emotions he just needed to fucking get off his chest.

So he kissed Lance.

Again.

And Lance didn’t comply at first until Keith slightly shifted his hips in annoyance and he finally kissed Keith back, tongue swiping against the prince’s until the latter let out a small guttural groan from deep inside his throat.

That made Lance pull back and stare down at Keith, panting hard.

Keith stared back at him, anger and confusion in his eyes. Why had Lance stopped? Why? Why didn’t he just fucking kiss him?

“Lance, come on. Why the fuck did you stop?” He snapped in annoyance, wanting to do _something_ to grab onto Lance but unable to since the other had him completely pinned.

“Keith.” Lance said with a warning in his tone. He sighed and let Keith go, sitting up on him. “I’m not going to kiss your problems away. That’s not how it works.”

Keith stared hard at him. “What the hell, that’s exactly how it works. Look, today has been really fucking stressful and I need a distraction. Just come back and let me kiss you or something.” He wanted it but he would not beg. He wasn’t that low.  

But Lance just shook his head. “No buddy, I’m not going to sleep with you while you’re emotionally unstable. It happened last time and you haven’t ever shut up about it being a mistake. So I’m not going to put you through that again, your highness.” The Captain nodded curtly and sighed, climbing off of Keith and holding out a hand to help him up. “I’m calling our session off early for the day. You need to go relax. If the offer still stands when you feel better though…” Lance gave him a bit of a sad half grin.

Keith stared at him in disbelief. He hit Lance’s extended hand away and stood up himself, giving Lance an extremely sour look. “Fuck you, Lance.” He snapped and quickly left the room, not looking back and not caring about leaving his things there. Someone else could pick them up.

The prince stormed up to his room feeling a lot of things, but most of all irritated. He was… slightly relieved that Lance had ended up sending him away to cool off. He had been right. If Keith would have slept with him again, he surely would have instantly regretted it in the morning. That’s how it was with Lance. He was an emotional outlet for Keith, something to let his frustrations out on. It generally came out in their sparring but… well, sometimes it got sexual like that and went farther than Keith wanted while he was under the poor influence of heated emotions and body contact.

Still, Keith couldn’t actually believe Lance of all people had turned him down. Turned _him_ down. Keith. The fucking prince. Gods, that was so… so… Keith didn’t even know how to feel about it. Was that insulting? Or…?

When Keith got to his room, he asked one of the maids to draw a quick bath for him, needing a long soak for his sore muscles and the comforting aromas of his bath oils to help him calm down. Hunk would be there in a few hours and they’d go down to the festival and perhaps Keith could find solace in having a nice night with his friend to forget about his progressively worsening day. Now, on top of the impending inevitability of him becoming king, on top of the Galran shenanigans, of his soon-to-be betrothal, now he had to deal with whatever the fuck it was that had just happened with Lance. _Captain_ Lance, as in his combat instructor who he found incredibly insufferable a lot of the time. But for whom he also seemed to have an annoying sexual attraction to in the heat of his fights and peaks of his emotional instability.

Keith sank into his hot bath when it was drawn, not bothering with laying his clothes out neatly across the bed for his maids to pick up for washing like he normally did. He really didn’t care right now. He just left them on the floor where he’d shed them and waved off the women as they approached to try and wash and lather him with the expensive soaps he owned.

He just wanted to be left alone right now to relax in the steaming bath and try to look forward to that evening.

 

-

 

When the evening did eventually roll around, Keith was feeling significantly better. He still felt a weight hanging onto the back of his mind but it had subsided from plaguing his immediate thoughts and affecting his actions. He was now immensely grateful that Lance had turned him down. He didn’t like the idea of fucking on high emotions or under the influence of spirits with people he wouldn’t do the same with when in a normal state of mind. It just didn’t sit right with him.

Luckily, Hunk had arrived safely an hour or so previous and Keith had helped him into his guest room, the former going on and on about this and that. Hunk caught Keith up with all the happenings in his life back on Earth, which Keith took a mild interest in just to appease his friend’s talkative demeanor. In all honesty, Earthen relations didn’t really concern him much so he didn’t care too badly what happened on the human planet. He knew the Galra had also taken an interest in the humans some time ago but they hadn’t dared to touch down on the planet yet as they’d already done with Altea. The Galra were strange creatures and Keith didn’t understand most of their motives. But, they’d left their castle alone thus far and as long as they didn’t just drop from the sky in a mass invasion or something, Keith was happy leaving it that way.

Keith didn’t have much news to tell Hunk, nothing very interesting or unpredictable happened in the life of a prince. He didn’t mention what had happened with Lance that afternoon, not wanting to hear Hunk go on with more teasing about the situation. He did, however, mention his upcoming betrothal, which Hunk took an interest in.

“Oh, dude, you’re finally getting hitched? Sweet! Bro, you have to make me your best man. C’mon, who else would it be? I’m the best man in your life. You know you love me.” Hunk grinned wide at him as he pulled some baggy human clothing from his case that he’d brought with him and began to change for the festival.

Keith looked a little confused. “Best… man? I don’t know what that implies. Altean weddings are not like human weddings.” He frowned.

Hunk was having some trouble shucking into his shirt, but spoke up with his head hidden in the folds of the fabric. “Whaaaat? Dude, how are the weddings here? I mean, they’re pretty standard on Earth. Just your basic kissy kissy marry marry smooch smooch stuff.”

Keith blinked a couple times at that. Kissy kissy marry marry smooch… smooch? “Well, on Altea, we have to cut open our brides and feast on their internal organs to prove our worth, then sew them up using only our teeth.” He said casually.

There was a gagging noise from the shirt and Hunk stumbled around, choking. “Dude, dude, oh my God, that is fucking _nasty-”_

Keith busted out laughing, he couldn’t help it. He laughed out loud and so hard that he had to hold his stomach because it began to ache. “I can’t believe you believed me!” He gasped around his laughs.

Hunk finally pulled his shirt over his head and looked red in the face with his chestnut hair messy and tousled. He also might have looked a little green. “Not. Funny. Dude. _So_ not funny. You’re so sick.” He gave Keith a look but couldn’t hold it long, breaking into a grin as Keith just smiled at him. “It’s good to see you smile though. ‘Prolly needed that.”

The prince lounged back against the bed, already dressed for the evening. He donned a loose white shirt and a midsection leather belt that showed off the slimness of his waist. He wore a pair of close-fitting dark leather slacks and calf high boots that were intricately laced up. Around his shoulders was a dark crimson woolen cloak that hugged him snugly and was sure to keep him warm in the brisk air of the evening. He purposefully made sure to not wear anything with the castle insignia or Kogane crest on it… he didn’t want to be recognized tonight. There were times that Keith liked to go down into town as a nobody, to be treated as an equal rather than have the ground at his feet worshiped each time he took a step. He just liked to feel like a normal person sometimes, not one with responsibilities that affected the many lives of his subjects and the well being of their country. Sometimes Keith liked to imagine he was just a normal nobody with a nondescript life where he didn’t know what was coming the next day. A life like that would be nice.

When Hunk finished dressing, he handed Keith something soft and plush. “Here you go, dude. My grandmom knitted a few pairs of these and I snagged some for you. I knew it was gonna be cold so I figured you might like them.”

Keith looked down at what Hunk had handed him and was pleasantly surprised to see a pair of warm fingerless gloves. He’d… never had a pair so homey feeling before. Keith put them on and looked at them in wonder. “Th-thank you.” He stuttered, face heating up a little bit in the mild shock of receiving them. He… wasn’t used to receiving presents like this. It touched him.

Hunk smiled and waved his hand. “Yeah, anytime man. That lady could sew a freaking Earth sweater if she wanted to. She’s crazy.” He laughed as he pulled a pair of his own on. They were a bright yellow that complimented his dark skin tone well.

The prince admired them for a moment before he realized it was time to get going. He had cleared his schedule for the evening, much to his father’s chagrin. King Kogane had allowed it only because Hunk was here and he was fond of Hunk. He thought the boy was a nice influence on Keith, whatever that meant.

Plus, it wasn’t like Keith wasn’t an adult and not allowed to make his own decisions. His father just liked to keep him on the track of making the _right_ decisions.

Since Keith didn’t want to make a big entrance into the festival, he opted for just taking a driver in a nondescript vehicle and getting let out a few blocks away from where the main festivities were. He really, really didn’t want to be recognized. He was lucky though, because they were in a part of town farther from the castle where his and his father’s faces were probably not as plastered across the public comms as they were in the areas closer to the castle.

As soon as he and Hunk exited the vehicle, the cold nip in the air wrapped around him and made him shiver. He pulled his cloak closer to his body and his hood down a little farther. Keith could already hear the festival and smell the usual mixed aromas that came with Altean celebrations. A small smile touched his lips. He felt grounded.

Keith waved off his driver and turned with Hunk to start heading down the streets towards the festivities. He would never outwardly admit it, but he was a bit _too_ excited to be out of the castle and down in the commonplace with its nasty smells and commotions and general camaraderie. Keith liked that. It thrilled him simply because it felt rebellious and different from everything he’d ever known.

He and Hunk walked in pace with one another, Hunk leading them and Keith falling just a few steps behind. He breathed in the cold evening air and sighed it back out, watching his breath form in puffs right in front of his mouth. Hunk’s arms were up as he casually rested his hands on the back of his head and looked up as the stars began to show dimly in the sky.

“Man, dude, you guys really got a gorgeous sky here.” Hunk sighed dreamily and Keith snorted. He couldn’t say it was anything special since he’d never had any other sky to compare it to.

So he just shrugged, “I guess.”

They walked in a comfortable silence after that until they reached the main street of the festivities. Lively music and talking and laughing all rang in Keith’s ears. Warm sources of light pierced his vision all around and he had to hold an arm up to shield it all while his eyes adjusted to the brightness of everything. Oh and the _smells._ There were floral smells, spicy smells, sharp smells, food smells, everything. The vendors there would be selling soaps and spices and all sorts of merchandise. Keith figured the reason he smelled human food was because there were human vendors there selling their delicious treats to the Alteans. Keith would definitely find it in himself to buy some in excess.

People ran around, children pattered down the streets in their shabby clothing, laughing and waving handmade banners around. There were strong smells of the rich Altean liquors on various parts of the streets but Keith stayed away from it. He didn’t feel like drinking tonight.

Him and Hunk had a nice evening exploring the festival, buying various items. Keith was amused by Hunk’s ability to pack in so much food. He thought to himself that if an Altean ever ate even half of that, they’d combust. It wasn’t an issue for him though, he actually admired his friend’s ability to do so. Keith wished he could also eat as much food as Hunk so he could try more of the delicious flavors the goods were sure to have. But, well, his stomach could only hold so much.

At one point, a little boy ran down the street laughing and having quite a time. Keith watched him from beneath his hood, bemused at his childish free spirited antics. However, as he raced and horse played with some other little children down the street, something came loose from his belt and hit the pavement but the boy didn’t notice it. He continued dancing along the street and Keith frowned, quickly jogging forward and picking up what the boy had lost. They looked like some cheapo little festival masks that he’d probably picked off of a stand nearby.

“Hey!” Keith called and tried to catch up with him, but there were too many people for him to go too fast without being rude or drawing a lot of attention.

“Hey kid!” He tried again to call out, but the boy was too far away and it was too loud. Well, Keith hoped he didn’t miss them too much. The prince was about to toss them when he paused and looked down at them.

They were simple but endearing to him- two quaint little feline looking faces, one inked in red and one inked in black. They were actually very pretty up close, perhaps not as cheap as Keith had originally suspected they were. The cat masks were made out of a thin wood and would probably be of value to someone like that little boy. Keith figured he’d hang onto them in case he ran into him at some point that night.

After tying the masks to his belt, he returned to Hunk who looked confused but didn’t question it. Keith plopped onto the bench next to him and sighed as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Hunk was munching on some sweet on a stick next to him, sounding content with it’s flavor.

It was quiet for a few minutes. Just a few.

“I almost slept with Lance again today.”

Keith blurted it out, keeping his eyes shut to avoid catching the look he knew his friend would give him. He… didn’t want to talk about it but he also did. It felt like it was pent up in him and making him anxious. Keith didn’t like that. Maybe talking about it would help ease the tension, even if Hunk would just poke fun at him for it.

But the teasing he expected didn’t come. Keith peeked an eye open and looked over, where Hunk looked like he was considering what to say as he chewed a bite.

“Hm, sounds like something serious dude. Do you have the mushie-gushies for him?” Was what he decided on.

Keith frowned and fully looked at Hunk. “The _what?_ No, of course not! I don’t feel that way about Lance, or anyone. I don’t even want to sleep with him normally! He’s like my teacher. Feels like that, anyways. And an ass. I don’t know, it’s just weird.” Keith groaned and dropped his head to his hands because it really wasn’t all that weird but he just felt wrong about the whole situation.

“It’s just… I dunno. I don’t… really see him sexually, right? But when I’m pissed off and feeling all these emotions because I’m angry at everything, I think he’s really attractive, and like I can help that when he’s throwing me around and pressing his body to me and stuff. It’s like this me,” He pointed at his head. “Doesn’t want it and knows that. But this me,” He motioned to the rest of his body. “Overrules that me and tells me me to go for it even though I know I’ll regret it later.”

An exasperated sigh left his lips as he pushed his hands through his long hair, pulling strands of it out from his intricate bun. “It doesn’t make any sense. The guy pisses me off, so I don’t know why I get the hots for him sometimes.” He mumbled and sat there with his head down. He was so frustrated about that.

A warm hand slid over his back and rubbed there in comfort. “Dude, it’s alright. Feelings suck sometimes, bro. Even if they make no sense. But man, you gotta go with your gut. If you got a feeling like something isn’t right, you gotta listen to it, yanno? I dunno man but it seriously sounds like you need to talk to him and hash some boundaries, right?” Hunk suggested as he patted Keith’s back.

The prince stayed curled over and just gave a short grunt in response. He didn’t really feel like talking now.

Hunk sat back and looked up, picking some food out of his teeth with his tongue. “Or, you know, maybe you should just fuck someone you don’t know. It would get your mind off that guy and everything else that’s bothering you. Probably. If they’re good.” He grinned cheekily and looked down as Keith peered at him from the side.

“Yeah, um, how the hell would that work? I can’t just fuck some random stranger. There’s… there’s standards, alright?” He felt a little ashamed to say that but, well! Admittedly, he liked doing risky things, but fucking someone he didn’t even know? It just seemed slightly out of his league of crazy.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Dude, you know they have people that like, do that shit for money. Whores, courtesans, prostitutes, whatever you call them here.”

Keith sat up now and frowned at him. That didn’t sound realistic. “That must be an Earth thing because I’ve never heard of that here.”

Hunk laughed. “Oh, bullshit! They have those people every planet, dude! You just gotta know where to look.” He paused and looked wistful for a moment. “Look, okay, give me just a few minutes and I’ll be _right_ back.” He got up quickly with a look of excitement in his face. The dark-skinned boy started to take off but paused briefly.

“Wait, what do you like? Boys, right?”

Keith stared at him incredulously, feeling a very big groan rising in his throat. “I like… both? I can’t pick!” He said, ashamed to be talking about this. Sure, Keith wasn’t really shy about his bed partners but talking about his sex life with other people was… well, it was kind of embarrassing, right? That just seemed more like a private affair between two people and the details of it were meant to be kept as such.

Hunk just flashed him a grin and nodded and took off.

That groan came out of Keith’s throat as he dropped his head to his hands again. This sounded like it was going to end only in disaster.

 

-

 

When Hunk finally came back, it was fully dark outside and he’d definitely been a lot longer than he’d said. The night was still lively with music and lights and smells and Keith would be happy to return to them but Hunk had a look on his face and Keith wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

While Hunk had been gone, he’d considered the possibility of what his friend had told him. Sleeping with someone he could handpick for some money, which he had endless supplies of? At first, it sounded ridiculous. But, Keith had actually warmed up to the idea of it. What did it really matter, if they didn’t know his life and couldn’t make any judgements about him? Vice versa as well. It would just be a fuck, something to ease his mind of his dilemmas and maybe distress him a bit. And afterwards, he could pick himself up and go home without ever seeing them again. It seemed… actually like a clever idea. He was pretty warmed to it when Hunk finally did return, looking totally out of breath as if he’d ran to the castle and back.

Hunk bent over and put his hands on his knees while he caught his breath. He tried to speak but Keith allowed him a second to catch it.

“I…” Hunk huffed. “I found the perfect place. It’s only…” Puff. “A few blocks from here, in the outskirts of the upscale district.” He stood up straight and gave Keith a grin. “C’mon dude, I got some great recommendations for it. And it’s like, for rich people. So they’re high class.” His bright grin only widened against his dark skin.

Keith looked at him for a moment before nodding and getting up. He inhaled and wrapped his cloak around him further, though his shiver wasn’t from the cold. He was… anxious. Nervous but in an excited sort of way. The idea of what he was going to do flitted through his head. It was dangerous and stupid and if someone recognized him… but… when did he ever have the chance to do something dangerous and stupid and reckless? With his every move, every decision, every breath monitored in the castle… when did he ever get the chance to do something sort of crazy like this? It sort of thrilled him.

So the Altean prince followed Hunk as they trailed away from the festival, the noises dying behind them. The smells still wove through the buildings as they slowly changed from low class looking to a more upper class structure. Hunk hadn’t been lying. This place they were going to _was_ higher class.

They turned a corner onto the street where the place was and Keith paused in his step. He swore under his breath.

There, plastered on a huge advertisement public comm screen was his and his father’s face, announcing some reminder to bless the royalty. He cursed and immediately turned back.

Hunk looked over his shoulder, “Keith? S’up dude?” He frowned and Keith just covered the bottom of his face and pointed at the comm screen in the dim light.

“They’re going to know who I am. I can’t do it.” He said stiffly.

Hunk turned to look at the comm and his frown increased. He looked back at Keith and opened his mouth but closed it. He really couldn’t argue that. If Keith got caught… well, he’d be in _a lot_ of trouble. The scandal would probably chase him for the rest of his life. Alteans were like that.

He could see the slight look of disappointment on Keith’s face beneath his hood. He knew that the prince’s day had been rough to say the least and this was just another flop.

Unless…

“Dude, what about one of those masks on your belt? It’ll cover everything but your mouth, right? They wouldn’t know!” Hunk’s eyes lit up as he reached forward and tugged one of the masks free. Ironically, the red one. It fit Keith, anyways.

Keith looked doubtful though. “C’mon Hunk, that won’t work.” He frowned and dismissed the idea.

“No, no, no, it will! Look, look-” He reached up and held the mask to Keith’s face, turning him so he could see his reflection in a dark shop window. “You really _can’t_ tell!” A smile spread across his mouth. A mischievous smile.

Keith felt a groan coming on. Mainly because Hunk was _right_ . He was unrecognizable with the hood and the mask on. But also because it was still a really, really, _really_ bad idea.

But he _loved_ it.

The risk.

It made him feel… daring. It made him feel excited and alive. As stupid as that sounded. He was just going to sleep with a complete stranger for Gods’ sake! It was such a simple action and yet it filled him with rebellious and childish thrill.

“Alright.” He agreed.

Hunk’s grin stretched far across his cheeks.

 

-

 

When they arrived at the place, Keith took it in. It wasn’t anything special on the outside, it didn’t stand out or look like it might hint at the activities that went on behind those walls. It was quaint and had a nice garden out front. The prince noted some of the flowers he knew of and the ones he wasn’t too sure about. It was well kept.

A sign hung out over the roof, reading _The King’s Regent_. That made Keith scrunch his nose up a bit. What an odd name.

It was dark and cold out. The pavement up to the house was lit by warm lanterns. Keith appreciated the authentic feeling of the place as he walked through the gardens with Hunk. Speaking of, why was Hunk still here? He shouldn’t… why…?

Keith didn’t bother questioning it anymore.

He had the red cat mask tied securely over his face, covering most of it save for just his eyes and the lower half including his mouth. It looked rather nice on him, actually. The deep crimson color of it complimented his pale skin well, accented his almond shaped eyes and pretty lips. Plus, he had his hood turned up, so his dark hair was covered. He knew that would have to come off eventually, but the mask didn’t.

They approached the door and Hunk tapped the knocker curtly, standing with Keith while they waited. It was actually pretty late, so Keith really wasn’t sure if-

The door opened.

Warm light and smells spilled out and Keith peered inside around Hunk’s shoulder a little curiously.

He couldn’t really see much just from the doorway, just some of the furniture that furnished the lobby. A grand staircase leading to somewhere he couldn’t see.

The boy who had answered the door stood before them, shorter than the two of them but with an intense expression on his face as he looked the two of them up and down.

“What’s your business here?” He questioned and Keith and Hunk glanced at each other.

“Um…” Hunk started, sputtering a bit before the boy busted out laughing.

“Come in, come in. Of course I know why you’re here.” He gestured them inside, opening the door wide to let them in. Hunk and Keith quietly hustled in and Keith was instantly relieved at the warmth the indoors provided.

The boy shut the door behind them and walked forward, holding his arms out. “Welcome to The King’s Regent! I’m Pidge, the clerk here. Well, I _could_ practically be the damned owner since she’s never around _anyways_ but…” Pidge waved his hand. “Whatever.” He shrugged.

Pidge was a human but he wore a very Altean style of clothing. Loose straight pants and a pair of nice leather boots, topped off with a long sleeved white shirt that cuffed at the wrists and a deep green vest over it. A pocket watch chain hung out of the front pocket and Keith noticed a green coat with an upturned collar hanging on the coat rack nearby the desk in the corner. Pidge wore a very large pair of circular glasses on his nose and his hair was a controlled mess atop of his head. It suited him though.  

“That aside boys, we all know why you two are here! So, why don’t we get you guys set up with someone available, right?” Pidge pushed his glasses up on his nose when they slid down a bit as he looked up at the two of them and swung around the desk.

Hunk held his hands up. “Oh! No, not me.” He grinned and pointed at Keith over his shoulder. “My friend here, um…”

Keith thought quickly. “Akira.” He cleared his throat, reciting the first name that came to mind. Akira had been a great warrior in Altean history that had defended the planet when it was invaded. He was also one of Keith’s _favorite_ warriors.

Pidge stood on his toes and assessed Keith over Hunk’s shoulder. He had a curious look on his face. Keith didn’t blame him. He didn’t know how he’d feel either if some hooded masked weirdo like him had come in demanding a whore.

Hunk grinned at Pidge. “Yeah, Akira. Anyways, he’d like someone for the night. Sorry about the… woo, ooh, ooh ooh.” Hunk seemed to forget his words as he motioned to all of Keith’s updo. Keith frowned at him but Pidge had a big smile on his face.

“Yeah, he’s just trying to be kept under wraps. You know, pretty rich guy… doesn’t wanna be seen… anomaly and all that.”

Pidge cocked his head to the side. “A… nomaly?”

“Anonymity.” Keith corrected Hunk, keeping his voice low.

Pidge looked between them and nodded. “Of course. We get patrons as such all the time.” He waved his hand. “The mask is a _bit_ excessive though.”

The prince laughed nervously and shrugged his shoulders.

Pidge typed something on his comm-board and stared at his screen behind the desk. “Alright, well Mr… Akira. What are your preferences?”

Keith blinked. “Well, um… I don’t really… I-”

“Pidge, I need you to clear my schedule for tomorrow.”

Keith looked up at the sound of a deep voice, low and quiet and coming from the bottom of the staircase. He glanced over and saw someone standing there, walking towards them with a poised swagger.

The man that approached the desk wore only a pair of loose black pants that sat low on his hips. He had a nicely shaped body- a slim pair of hips that led up into a broad chest. He was fit, upper body lined with strong muscle, more than Lance had. His skin was darker than the shade of Keith’s, but lighter than Lance’s. The man’s face was square and all sharp edges. He had a strong jaw, a lazy smile on a soft looking pair of lips. His eyes were almond-shaped, more so than Keith’s were, and lined with a very precise dark liner that flared at the edges of his eyes. His brows were set low on his forehead, sculpted and expressive above his eyes. He had a scar running along his nose- it told a story. And now that Keith saw it, he saw the others running along the span of the man’s exposed upper torso. And…

“Your arm.” Was the first thing Keith blurted when he saw it. He immediately bit his lip. He shouldn’t have said that. Why did he say that? Stupid, stupid.

The man looked up at him, as if just noticing him and Hunk standing there. He cocked his head at Keith, assessing him as Pidge had done.

A grin broke out over his face.

Keith was confused.

The guy shrugged and looked over at his mechanical arm. He flexed the fingers and the ran it through his short hair, messing it up.

“Oh, this old thing? It’s… yeah, it’s weird. It’s got some killer vibrating functions though.” He winked and Keith felt an unexpected wave of heat come over him. He looked away. He didn’t like that he could be embarrassed so easily.

The guy got closer and leaned casually on the desk as he looked over Keith and Hunk again. Up close, the guy really wasn’t the most handsome and rugged guy Keith had ever met. He was attractive though, very much so. Perhaps it was the way he held his gaze, the way he looked around and the way he held himself. _That_ was handsome. He was confident and the scars added to that appeal. It’s as if he was proud to have them. Perhaps he was.

The man glanced over his shoulder and looked at Pidge. “Did you hear me? Need a clear schedule tomorrow.”

Pidge huffed at him. “Shiro, come on. You have that foreign ambassador coming tomorrow. I can’t just keep blowing off your patrons because of your whims.”

Shiro rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Do you even listen when you talk? Coming? Blow off? You do know you work at a whorehouse, right?” He grinned a wide white smile and laughed, turning back to face Hunk and Keith.

“So, you two in for a good time, right? Well, you came to the right place!” Shiro chuckled and gestured to the empty lobby. “We got everything you could ever need here.” He said coyly and looked Keith in the eyes when he said that. Keith looked away from the intense stare, his body burning. Annoying.

“Actually, it’s just Sir Akira here that’s in for service.” Pidge motioned to Keith and waved his hand. “Seems to have a tough time picking though. We were just in the middle of that when you so _rudely_ interrupted us.” Pidge huffed and typed something into his comm-board. Likely clearing that Shiro’s schedule or something

“Oh, is that so?” Shiro asked and leaned on the desk even more, looking at Keith. “Well, it’s horribly unfortunate that he’s arrived at this time. Every good whore in the house is busy with patrons at the moment or off the clock.” He spun his finger in the air. “I am also, so unfortunately, off the clock.” He sighed mockingly and draped an arm over his forehead. All very dramatic “It is so so unfortunate.”

Pidge looked between them. Hunk looked confused.

“Um, Shiro…” Pidge started, looking like he was about to give a short lecture but Shiro sighed greatly and cut him off.

“I _suppose_ I could make an exception though, if Mr…” He cleared his throat, “ _Akira_ here, can pay for something like that?” He ended it with a question.

Pidge rolled his eyes. Hunk looked like he was about to bust out laughing. Keith looked at Shiro incredulously, his words caught in his throat.

The prince crossed his arms instead. “Yeah? What makes you think that I’d even want you in the first place?” He asked quietly and turned his face up a little bit.

Shiro’s expression seemed to ignite with fascination. His cheeks warmed up. Oh, a challenge? He loved a challenge.

Shiro stepped towards Keith and walked around him, circling him. He reached up and tugged at the edge of the hood, hinting. A hand brushed across Keith’s waistline very gently through his cloak as Shiro stopped behind him and closed his eyes. He smiled and breathed in. Keith smelled like rose oil. It was a good smell for him.

Keith felt Shiro’s breath near his ear and held in a shudder. He didn’t move.

“It’s your choice, sweetheart. I can’t make you want me.” Shiro murmured. He was so warm. So warm and so close against Keith’s back. Keith felt like something was stuck in his throat.

Keith closed his eyes and shivered. He couldn’t help it. When Shiro pulled away, Keith glanced up at him, missing the body heat. Shiro was looking at him waving his hand in the air as he trailed away. “Have fun, _sweetheart_.” He called, putting a punch into that last word.

It irritated Keith.

But it also intrigued him.

Keith turned to glance at Hunk, whose face was red from the encounter. He blinked at Keith and held his hands up defensively.

The prince looked to Pidge, who just shrugged but had a knowing look on his face. And damn it all if this wasn’t Shiro’s usual method for getting clients but Keith couldn’t deny it- he was interested. Hooked. He wanted to hear his voice more, feel those warm hands against his skin. And Keith couldn’t help but be curious about what he’d look like without those _very_ loose looking pants on.

And damn it fucking all if Shiro hadn’t made Keith want him.

He wet his pallette and turned to Hunk, seeking approval. Hunk grinned and gave him an encouraging nod.

After, he turned to Pidge, opening his mouth. He had a fire in his eyes. Pidge just shook his head and waved Keith on. “We can take care of payment later.”

Now, Keith didn’t want to run after this guy like some lost puppy. Oh no, he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of actually showing that he wanted him. Because admittedly, he did. But Shiro didn’t need to know that. Keith was too proud to give him what he wanted.

“Oi!” Keith called, looking at Shiro’s retreating form.

Shiro paused in his step and turned slightly, just barely looking over his shoulder. He had the smallest little coy smile on the corner of his mouth.

Oh, how Keith would wipe that smugness right off of the courtesan’s mouth.

“So, what? Are you just going to leave me standing here?” Keith rolled his eyes and shifted his stance.

“You better hurry. Your time is ticking. And so far, I’m really, really not impressed.” He sighed in exasperation.

Shiro grinned wide on his face and turned, hurrying over to Keith. He wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders and began to guide him towards the staircase.

Shiro was warm and he smelled spicy, like cinnamon and sandalwood. Keith closed his eyes and breathed it in. It was unique.

The taller man leaned down, hot breath brushing against Keith’s ear again. He stiffened as that voice, low and dangerous and sultry, spoke quietly to him. _For_ him and only him.

“Oh, but _you will be, Akira_.”

**Author's Note:**

> shit boi that was LONG LOL, i honestly didn't mean to make it that long but i really felt like i needed to build up keith's stress before he actually met shiro? don't worry tho, i'm like 99% sure there's gonna be porn next chapter anyways so hold on to ur horny lil britches boys and girls
> 
> but hey, thanks for reading! tell me if there's anything additional you feel i should tag as i go along if it's not up there!
> 
> i actually have a plot planned out for this so you guys just gotta wait and see. it's ok tho cos there's gonna be lots of juicy scenes between now and then. additionally if you guys have any suggestions, feel free to share!
> 
> and obviously the endgame is going to be shiro/keith. there's gonna be some minor lance/keith and keith/allura in there but it's not gonna be the endgame, i promise you.
> 
> apologies if characters are super ooc. i was reading some sheith fics and suddenly got the urge to write and BOOM 2 days later i have this garbage churned out. im super excited for it though!
> 
> be sure to kudos if you like it or hmu on my tumblr @ prince-bat.tumblr.com if you have suggestions/ wanna talk about the fic!
> 
> expect the second chapter to be up in 1-2 weeks! i can't guarantee a specific time because i'm gonna be super busy with holidays and finals so gimme some leverage pls


End file.
